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STORY: UN / DPRK UKRAINE
TRT: 5:35
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 18 DECEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
18 DECEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“The DPRK’s pursuit of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes undermines the global nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation regime. As we approach 2025, the final year of the DPRK’s current five year military plan, we reiterate our calls on the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“We reiterate our call on all relevant actors to refrain from any steps that may lead to spillover and intensification of the war in Ukraine.”
6. Med shot, DPRK Ambassador at the meeting
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“I recall that the relevant Security Council resolutions are legally binding for all UN Member States. As the Secretary-General has stated, any relationship that a country has with the DPRK must entirely abide by the relevant Security Council sanctions.
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonah Leff, Executive Director, Conflict Armanent Research:
“CAR's latest field documentation and analysis highlight three key observations: First, it confirms the continued use of freshly manufactured North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine. Second, the discovery of a 2024 production mark on one of the missiles reveals a very short period between the production of these ballistic missiles, their transfer and eventual use in Ukraine. Third, the presence of recently produced non-domestic components-some bearing 2023 production marks-among missile remnants illustrates North Korea's robust acquisition network for its ballistic missile program despite UN sanctions prohibiting the transfer of this material for military purpose.”
9. Wide shot, Security Council
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations:
“If Russia abandons its long-held position of denuclearization of North Korea, it will erode the very foundation of the NPT regime. Such an outcome will not be in anyone’s interest, in particular the nuclear weapon states including China and eventually Russia.”
11. Wide shot, Security Council
12. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Geng Shuang, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, China:
“It needs to be emphasized that the issue of Ukraine and the Peninsula issue are completely different in terms of origin and the nature. Linking the two will only make both issues more complicated and difficult to resolve. Using the worry about the intertwining of the security Europe and that in the Asian Pacific and their resonance as a pretext to push NATO to cross its border and extend its power to get involved in the Asian Pacific, will only further intensify regional antagonism and an exacerbate confrontation. China firmly opposes this approach.”
13. Med shot, Security Council
14. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“Turning to the cooperation between Russia and Pyongyang. we have repeatedly set out our position that DPRK is our close neighbor and partner with whom we are developing relations in all areas. This is our sovereign right. Russian cooperation with the DPRK at the military and other areas is in accordance with international law, not in violation thereof. This is not directed against any third country, it does not posing a threat to States in the region or the international community and have no doubt, we will continue to develop such cooperation.”
15. Wide shot, Security Council
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“So once again, the United States calls on Russia to cease military cooperation with the DPRK to end the senseless war of aggression against Ukraine, and immediately withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognized borders.”
17. Wide shot, Security Council
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Song, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK):
“I strongly denounce the US and its following forces for convening this unlawful meeting that turns black into white, in pursuit of their selfish geopolitical interests without any regard for the UN Charter and recognized international law. The US and its allies are none other than the main culprits who have incited confrontation and discord among nations and fomented ceaseless massacre of civilians with irresponsible and illegal military interventions all the year round across the planet.”
19. Wide shot, Security Council
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Song, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK):
“The DPRK will never tolerate the arbitrary and high-handed practices of the US and its following forces in their attempts to impose hegemonic unipolar system of domination. It will fulfil its responsibility to defend genuine international justice and safeguard global peace and stability.”
21. Wide shot, Security Council
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“These steps by Moscow and Pyongyang undermine international efforts aimed at achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In this regard, we commend recent decisions where all partners to strengthen sanctions against Russia, and the DPRK, and call for further decisive measures on the matter.”
23. Wide shot, Security Council
UN chief of political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s pursuit of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes “undermines the global nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation regime," reiterating the calls on the DPRK to “fully comply with its international obligations.”
DiCarlo briefed the Council today (18 Dec) on the DPRK adherence to the non-proliferation regime and its military engagements.
She noted that in November this year, the DPRK openly displayed its weapon delivery systems during an exhibition in Pyongyang. The authorities showcased the latest solid-fuel “Hwasong-19” ICBM, which the DPRK launched for the first time on 31 October.
DiCarlo explained that the missile set new records for the longest flight length and altitude reached by any DPRK ICBM launch. The Hwasong-19 and other weapons systems in the exhibition are produced in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions. Their open display demonstrates that the DPRK is far from slowing down its ballistic missile programme.
The UN senior official also highlighted that the international attention has also recently focused on the reported increase in military cooperation between the DPRK and the Russian Federation.
She said that while the United Nations is not in a position to verify related claims, they are a cause for concern.
DiCarlo reiterated the call on all relevant actors to “refrain from any steps that may lead to spillover and intensification of the war in Ukraine.”
She echoed the Secretary-General that the reported deployment of thousands of troops from the DPRK to the conflict zone and their involvement in the fighting adds fuel to the fire, further escalating and internationalizing this explosive conflict.
The Under-Secretary-General recalled that the relevant Security Council resolutions are legally binding for all UN Member States.
She reiterated, “any relationship that a country has with the DPRK must entirely abide by the relevant Security Council sanctions.
Jonah Leff, Executive Director of Conflict Armanent Research (CAR) also spoke to the Council.
He highlighted three key observations from his organization’s latest field documentation and analysis.
He said, “First, it confirms the continued use of freshly manufactured North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine. Second, the discovery of a 2024 production mark on one of the missiles reveals a very short period between the production of these ballistic missiles, their transfer and eventual use in Ukraine.”
“Third, the presence of recently produced non-domestic components-some bearing 2023 production marks-among missile remnants illustrates North Korea's robust acquisition network for its ballistic missile program despite UN sanctions prohibiting the transfer of this material for military purpose,” Leff added.
For his part, South Korean Ambassador Joonkook Hwang said, “If Russia abandons its long-held position of denuclearization of North Korea, it will erode the very foundation of the NPT regime.”
“Such an outcome will not be in anyone’s interest, in particular the nuclear weapon states including China and eventually Russia,” he added.
Chinese Ambassador Geng Shuang emphasized that the issue of Ukraine and the Peninsula issue are “completely different in terms of origin and the nature,” adding that “linking the two will only make both issues more complicated and difficult to resolve.”
He said, “Using the worry about the intertwining of the security Europe and that in the Asian Pacific and their resonance as a pretext to push NATO to cross its border and extend its power to get involved in the Asian Pacific, will only further intensify regional antagonism and an exacerbate confrontation,” reiterating that “China firmly opposes this approach.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya commented on the cooperation between his country and Pyongyang, “we have repeatedly set out our position that DPRK is our close neighbor and partner with whom we are developing relations in all areas.”
“This is our sovereign right,” Ambassador Nebenzya said, adding that “Russian cooperation with the DPRK at the military and other areas is in accordance with international law, not in violation thereof.”
“This is not directed against any third country, it does not posing a threat to States in the region or the international community and have no doubt, we will continue to develop such cooperation,” he reiterated.
For her part, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield once again called on Russia to “cease military cooperation with the DPRK to end the senseless war of aggression against Ukraine, and immediately withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognized borders.”
North Korean Ambassador Kim Song “strongly denounce the US and its following forces for convening this unlawful meeting that turns black into white, in pursuit of their selfish geopolitical interests without any regard for the UN Charter and recognized international law.”
He continued, “The US and its allies are none other than the main culprits who have incited confrontation and discord among nations and fomented ceaseless massacre of civilians with irresponsible and illegal military interventions all the year round across the planet.”
Ambassador Song reiterated, “the DPRK will never tolerate the arbitrary and high-handed practices of the US and its following forces in their attempts to impose hegemonic unipolar system of domination.”
“It will fulfil its responsibility to defend genuine international justice and safeguard global peace and stability,” the North Korean Ambassador concluded.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said that the steps by Moscow and Pyongyang “undermine international efforts aimed at achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
“In this regard, we commend recent decisions where all partners to strengthen sanctions against Russia, and the DPRK, and call for further decisive measures on the matter,” Ambassador Kyslytsya concluded.
